Filing device



P. N. SEA.

FILING DEVICE. APPLICATION men MAR. H3, 1920.

' Patentd June 21, 1921.

UNITED STATES PHILIP N. SEA, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FILING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 18, 1920. Serial No. 366,942.

To wll'wkomit may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP N. SEA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Filing Devices.

My invention relates to filing devices which are particularly adapted for use on the desk or in a desk drawer as a temporary holder for letters, papers, catalogues, etc., and my invention may be considered as an improvement over the structure disclosed in the patent of Frederic W. Sea, No. 1,043,365, dated November 5th, 1912.

In the structure ofthe patent a back strip of uniform thickness and weight is used with the index'leaves secured thereto at one end. This form of backing strip does not give the most efiicient results as the leaves are not free to follow the increasing thick ness as papers and other things to be filed are inserted between the leaves, and the device will have a bulged or stuffed appearance instead of a flat uniformly filled appearance. The important object of my invention is to provide suchcon struction that the leaves can raise in their entirety as material is inserted in the ,file so that such leaves may at all times be horizontal and not present a bulged or stuffed appearance.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a positive folding or hinge line between the backing or base board or strip and the section to which the various leaves are secured at their ends, and where a cover is'provided I also provide a positive folding or hinge line between said cover and the section supporting the leaves. With such arrangement the leaf supporting section is free to swing upwardly into inclined position as thespaces between the various leaves are receiving 1nserts. When the spaces are filled to capacity, the leaf supporting section wlll be verticaland the" leaves will all be horizontal and will lay fiat. The arious features of my invention are clearly disclosed on the accompanying-drawing in whichigure 1 is a filing device,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional viewshowing particularly the constructlon and arrangement of the leaf supporting section and plan view of my improved Fig. 3 is a side elevational view showing in full lines the device partly filled and in dotted lines the device fully filled.

On the structure shown 5 represents a backing or base board of comparatively heavy material faced by inner and outer layers 6 and 7 of surfacing material. 'A simllar structure comprising the board Sand the outer and inner facing material 9 and 10 forms a cover or top for the device. Between the rear edges of the comparatively heavy base and cover parts is the section 11 to which are secured the various partitions or. leaves 12. The main object of my invention is to provide positive bending, folding or hinge line 13 between the base and the leaf supporting strip and also a positive Patented June 21, 1921.

folding or hinge line 14 between the leaf supporting section and the cover 8 if such cover is provided. The leaf supporting section 11 may be as heavily constructed as the base but separated therefrom by the folding or hinge line, or the section 11 may be flexible throughout. As-shown, it is formed by the facing or surfacing material of the base and cover parts, the outer and inner layers of this material being glued or otherwise secured together between the base and cover parts to form the section 11.

The leaves or partition members 12 are secured each along a narrow edge section 14 to the section 11, the spacing of the section 14 being in accordance with the capacity or space to be provided between the leaves when the device is filled. The leaves or partitions are of comparatively flexible material and can readily swing along the positive folding 0r hinge lines 15 formed between the pasted sections and the free sections of the leaves. The leaves are of equal length so that when the device is unfilled, the leaves will overlap as shown in Fig. 1 and in full lines Fig. 3 so that there is space at the free edge of each leaf for the application of index or other information legends. As shown, I have provided on'each leaf a receptacle 16 for paper slips bearing desired legends and the receptacles are arranged in staggering formation so as to be freely visible at all times.

When the device is' empty the leaves or partitions rest one on the other and their As material is inserted between the leaves the distance between them is gradually increased and the section 11 assumes inclined position as indicated in Fig. 3, such swing or movement of the leaf supporting section permitting the leaves to remain at all times horizontal and prevents distortion or bulging thereof. The material between the leaves will therefore at all times be amply covered and protected. As soon as'the spaces between the leaves are filled up, then the section 11 will be vertical and the device is then in the form of a book which can readily be filed away permanently if desired. on.

account of the movable section 11 and its hinged connection with the top or cover 8, such cover can always lay in horizontal position and will not assume an angle with its front end up. The device has therefore at all times a neat appearance.

Instead of having the backing or base and the cover of comparatively heavy material, these parts could be made of light material, but a distinct folding or hinge line provided between such parts and the section between them which supports the leaves. The spacing between the leaves can be made as desired in order to accommodate difierent classes of work which is to be filed.

Having described my invention, 1 claim as follows:

1. In a filing device of the class described, the combination of a base part, a non-foldable back' part hinged to the rear edge of said base part and leaves hinged to said back part at spaced intervals, said back part being free to assume inclined position 1 whereby said leaves will at all times be horizontal.

2. In a filing device of the class described, the combination of a flat base part, a top part, a non-foldable back part hinged to the rear edges of said base and top parts respectively, leaves hinged to said back part at spaced intervals whereby to leave space for storing papers, said back part being free at all times to swing vertically as papers are inserted between the leaves whereby said leaves will at all times remain horizontal.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 15th day of March, A. D. 1920.

PHILIP N. SEA. 

